Ludwig Morenz in front of an illustration of the hieroglyph for the Elephantine island in the Nile. (Photo: Volker Lannert / Uni Bonn)
Elephantine – why does this small Nile island in southern Egypt have this animal name? A scientist sheds light on why the ancient Egyptians saw an elephant splashing around at this landmark and how the mythical-religious significance of the cataract region of the Nile continued to develop over the course of ancient Egyptian history.
About 1200 meters long and 400 meters wide, it is located next to other river islands in the swirling water-shaped cataract region near the southern Egyptian city of Aswan: Despite its modest dimensions, Elephantine has been of great importance since ancient times. This is evidenced by the remains of ancient Egyptian buildings dating back to the 1st Dynasty, as well as temple ruins that are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Two nilometers are particularly well known on the island, which were used in ancient times to predict the flood of the Nile. In a current publication, the Egyptologist Ludwig Morenz from the University of Bonn dealt in a special way with the history and significance of Elephantine and the cataract region.
Initially, the focus was on the origin of the distinctive name: Elephantine is the Greek translation of the ancient Egyptian word for elephant. This is also reflected in the hieroglyph of the Nile island: it shows an elephant and a mountain symbol. “Elephantine was conceived as the place of origin of the Nile in the Pharaonic era,” says Morenz. Although people actually already knew at that time that the Nile came to them from further away, they preferred the idea that its actual origin lies in Egypt itself. Specifically, they saw it in the cataract region near Aswan, which is characterized by rocky islands, the border of the empire in the south. “The water, which at first almost disappears in the cataract between the rocks, which then reappears further north at Elephantine, was a particular fascination,” says Morenz.
Mythical-poetic ascription of meaning
There are different opinions as to how the association of the island with an elephant came about. In his publication, Morenz now advocates an explanation that consists of two elements: appearance and behavior. According to him, from a certain angle, the island structure resembles an elephant standing in the water, of which the head is particularly visible. This impression is complemented by the idea that an elephant is responsible for the disappearance and reappearance of the water: With its trunk it sucks in the water in the south and then sprays it over its head backwards towards the north. The Egyptologist is convinced that “it was through these pictorial ideas that people developed at the time that the island got its name”.
According to Morenz, this explanatory approach also provides a reference to the time in which the island got its name. In order to associate rock formations and water movements with elephants, the namesake must have been familiar with these animals, which are now extinct in the region. Thus the time up to the middle of the fourth millennium is moving into the sights, because until then the pachyderms still lived demonstrably in southern Egypt, explains Morenz.
As he further reports in his publication, the mythical-pictorial view of the cataract area increasingly developed into a religious one from the third millennium: One saw the work of deities – Satet and Anuket – in the bubbling water and the flooding of the Nile, which is important for agriculture and finally, above all, Khnum. This is reflected in the temple buildings on Elephantine. “We see that the natural phenomenon has gradually been sacralized,” said Morenz.
Religious propaganda campaign
Another interesting development is emerging, reports the Egyptologist. In later times the importance of the ram-headed god Khnum waned in the region in favor of the god Osiris. The followers of the Khnum therefore apparently initiated a religious propaganda campaign: To prove the existence and power of God, they invented an allegedly historical event. It is written down on a stone tablet that is on a neighboring island to Elephantine, reports Morenz. It describes how Khnum, at the request of a king, caused the Nile to overflow its banks, whereupon the fields were irrigated and a famine could end.
The text suggests that the stone tablet was made at the time of this event. In his publication, Morenz now expands the evidence that this is not true and that the inscription was apparently deliberately made to appear older than it actually was. According to this, a horizontal crack runs through the plate, which should look as if it had been added long after completion. In fact, the gap was there from the start. “The inscription is made old. The hieroglyphs above and below the crack look like they have slipped, but they are very legible. So you wrote around the crack, ”explains Morenz.
In conclusion, the Egyptologist says: “The mythological place of origin of the Nile makes it clear that the river has a twofold, interwoven meaning: as a natural river, which is a lifeline for the entire region, and as a cultural river, which people have been using since time immemorial Stimulates interpretations and the attribution of meaning, ”says Morenz.
Source: University of Bonn, Publication: Ludwig D. Morenz, EB-Verlag Dr. Brandt, Berlin 2021